The Seven Trials Of Habit
In the video "Ryan & the SEVENTRIALSOFHABIT" it was revealed that Ryan had received an email from the email address seventrialsofhabitSPLATgmail.com. The morning of his death he sent a screen cap of the email to Vinny, who read it on camera during that video.__FORCETOC__ The Establishment of the Tournament Immediately following the revelation of the tournament HYBRIDS began responding to the email and registering themselves to participate as well. In the following days 231 participants were accepted in the trials. Each participant received the following email: "WELCOME, RABBIT#XXX. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION. YOURS." in which they were assigned a new name, Rabbit #XXX. Ryan was Rabbit #001. During the 11/26 UStream it was revealed that Jeff is Rabbit #002, Evan is Rabbit #003, and Vince is Rabbit #004. At the time Jeff said that Alex had been forbidden from enrolling in the trials. Not everyone who sent in an application was accepted into the tournament. No pattern has been determined for who was accepted and who was not. In an unsigned tweet on Nov 25 HABIT eliminated Rabbits #151-153 seemingly for forcing him to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday. It is unknown who had been assigned those numbers. Later that day he closed registration saying "THAT IS ALL. IF YOU HAVE SENT IN AN APPLICATION, YOU WILL BE PROCESSED. OTHERWISE,YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT YOUR TURN. NO MORE APPLICANTS, YET." On November 28th, at 3:19 PM, HABIT created its own twitter account and officially welcomed The Rabbits to the tournament. Shortly thereafter HABIT divided The Rabbits into three groups, Angora, English Lop, and Netherland Dwarf. These are distinct breeds of rabbit. The Rabbits seem to have been divided purely by numbers, 1-77 being Angoras, 78-154 being English Lops, and 155-231 being Netherland Dwarfs. Each group being set up to hold 77 members. The significance of the division is unclear so far, though the number 7 seems important to HABIT. The first trial was announced on Nov 29 via email and twitter. By examining the recipients list on the email it was determined that Alex has ignored his brother's warning and has enrolled in the Trials. His position as Rabbit #231 was later confirmed when Alex posted his own video in response to part two of the first trial. The Purpose of the Trials Though there has been much speculation, the actual goals of the tournament remain a mystery. Similarities have been noted to certain mystic traditions that require you to give up possessions. Many cults require you to publicly abandon friends and family who are not cult members. These steps are intended to strip you of your former life in order to make you ready to begin a new path. HABIT has not addressed this point publicly but has hinted at it in two of the private chats he has conducted. In conversation with JediFox HABIT stated that the purpose of the trials was simply "BODY COUNT." Perhaps more revealing was an email exchange with Verdett in which HABIT stated that the trials would come to an end when the last Rabbit was eliminated, regardless of whether we had reached Trial Seven. Habit also highlighted the mysterious nature of the tournament with this statement: "YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF: WHAT ARE YOU ALL PLAYING FOR, TO BEGIN WITH?" Other than the reward to Rabbit #098 at the end of Round One, no mention has been made of a prize or reward for the ultimate "winner" of the Trials. Trial One Trial One, Part One Through email and Twitter on Nov 29 part one of the first trial was announced: "SEND ME A LIST OF YOUR FIVE MOST BELOVED POSSESSIONS... PREFERABLY THOSE WHICH CAN FIT INSIDE A BROWN PAPER BAG. WISH YOU WERE HERE," The emails sent to The Rabbits at 11:03 EST on Nov 29 were worded slightly differently and read as follows: : "YOU MADE THE CUT. THERE ARE MANY WHO ENVY THIS INVITATION. IF I AM SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL BE YOU WHO DESIRES EXCLUSION. ALL THE BETTER. LET'S GET STARTED, SHALL WE? BABY-STEPS, PEOPLE, BABY-STEPS. TRIALONE/partone: PROVIDE TO ME A LIST OF YOUR FIVE MOST BELOVED POSSESSIONS, PREFERABLY SIZED TO FIT INSIDE A BROWN PAPER BAG. YOU HAVE 24 HOURS. WISH YOU WERE HERE, (SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE AS A 'REPLY' TO YOUR ORIGINAL APPLICATION MESSAGE. FOR SO HELP ME IF YOU CLOG MY INBOX. BASTARDS.)" HABIT tweeted three times over the next 24 hours, twice around midnight warning Rabbits that many of them had not complied with part one of the trial yet, and once around 8:30 on the morning of the 30th to warn that they had less than 3 hours left. Shortly after noon HABIT revealed via Twitter that 13 Rabbits had failed to comply with part one of the first trial, though he didn't reveal their names. Trial One, Part Two At 10:55 on Dec 1 HABIT posted Trial One, Part Two through both email and twitter: : "CONSIDER THIS A MULLIGAN, NOT FROM THE RAIN BUT FROM STUPIDITY. (SEE WHAT I FUCKING DID THERE?) IF YOU MUFFED UP PART ONE OF TRIAL ONE, CONSIDER IT FORGIVEN. I REALIZE YOU MAY HAVE LIVES. THAT IS UNFORTUNATE. AND WILL CHANGE. REGARDLESS, HERE IS PART TWO OF TRIAL ONE:' FROM YOUR PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED LIST OF FIVE CHERISHED ITEMS, CHOOSE ONE. FILM YOURSELF PLACING IT IN A BAG AND BURYING IT, IN A FIELD OR IN THE WOODS.MARK THE GRAVE, MAKE IT SNAPPY, RABBITS. PERHAPS A PIECE OF WOOD.REMIND THEM: "HABIT MADE ME DO IT." '''LEAVE YOUR LOVED ONE BEHIND. : UPLOAD THE VIDEO TO YOUTUBE, WITH THE FOLLOWING TITLE: "THESEVENTRIALSOFHABIT - TRIAL ONE - PART 2/2 - RABBIT#xxx" YOU MAY CHOOSE FOR IT TO BE PUBLIC OR UNLISTED. SEND ME A LINK OF THE FINAL VIDEO, IN A NEW EMAIL MESSAGE, WITH YOUR NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT. : '''YOU HAVE UNTIL THIS MONDAY AT 11 PM. LATE ENTRIES WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN THIS TIME. ' : LOVE ALWAYS," This playlist has been established to collect the Rabbits' public videos. (Thanks to Saevitia for collecting the videos.) On December 4th at about 3 EST (less than 48 hours before the deadline of part two), HABIT tweeted that only sixty responses had been emailed to him. He modified the rules of the trial to include photo submissions (one photo of before, during, and after the burial of someone's item). A later tweet revealed that Rabbit #160 was eliminated. On December 5th at 9:42 pm EST via Twitter HABIT warned the Rabbits that they have 24 hours remaining and also warned that emails sent as responses to the original "Welcome" email would not be accepted. At the close of Trial One on Dec 6 The Rabbits received an email saying either: "YOU HAVE COMPLETED TRIAL ONE. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION. SINCERELY," or "YOU HAVE FAILED THE FIRST TRIAL. YOU HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE TOURNAMENT. SOON, (DISCREPANCIES? TRY ME.)" At the end of Trial One 157 Rabbits remain in the Tournament, 54 Angoras, 56 English Lops and 47 Netherland Dwarves. Trial Two Trial Two, Part One Breaking his former pattern of making announcements at 11am or pm, numberous posts from HABIT appeared on his Twitter account , Dec 15 at 1:40 am EST: : "THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL (APPARENTLY) BEEN WAITING FOR - TRIAL TWO. : ANGORA, ENGLISH LOP, AND NETHERLAND DWARF - EACH OF YOU MUST VOTE FOR A LEADER AND DESIGNATE A RUNT OF THE LITTER. : YOU EACH HAVE ONE VOTE WITHIN YOUR RESPECTIVE TEAMS - CHOOSE YOUR LEADER AND MARK ANOTHER FOR ELIMINATION. : THIS IS PART 1/2 OF THE SECOND TRIAL. : HAVE AT IT, RABBITS. WILL YOU ATTEMPT TO CREATE A FOLLOWING OR HIDE COMFORTABLY WITHIN THE MASSES? : BALLOTS ARE DUE IN BY THIS FRIDAY AT NOON, EASTERN. : THE CLOCK IS TICKING," The following email was also sent to the Rabbits: : "CONGRATULATIONS, MEAT. OBVIOUSLY, YOU ALL HAVE PASSED THE FIRST TRIAL. THIS MEANS NOTHING. GREAT, YOU'VE BURIED SOMETHING. ALL YOU HAVE DONE IS LOST ONE MORE THING THAT MAKES YOU HUMAN. LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU CAN COORDINATE YOURSELVES, SHALL WE? : TRIAL TWO - (PART 1/2) : THINK 'PRISONER'S DILEMMA' EN MASSE. : ANGORA, ENGLISH LOP, AND THE NETHERLAND DWARF - EACH OF YOU (INDIVIDUALLY) MUST CAST A VOTE - CHOOSE A LEADER FOR YOUR TEAM (FROM YOUR RESPECTIVE LOT) AND THEN DESIGNATE A RUNT OF THE LITTER (AGAIN, FROM YOUR LOT) THAT WILL BE ELIMINATED. YOUR LEADER WILL REMAIN IN THE TOURNAMENT; THE RUNT WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF MOB-RULE. : THE TOURNAMENT WILL NOT PROCEED UNTIL WE HAVE DESIGNATED THESE FIGURE-HEADS. : YOUR BALLOT SHALL BE CAST IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT: A NEW MESSAGE (EMAIL) WITH YOUR NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT. IN THE BODY: LEADER: (YOUR SELECTION) RUNT: (YOUR SELECTION) MY LOVELY POLLING BOOTH WILL BE CLOSED THIS FRIDAY AT NOON, EASTERN. SO, WHAT WILL YOU DO? ATTEMPT TO CREATE A FOLLOWING AND BECOME A LEADER... OR IDLE YOURSELF COMFORTABLY WITHIN THE MASSES? : I BABIED YOU DURING THE FIRST TRIAL - EXPECT NO SUCH LENIENCY FROM HERE ON OUT. I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU TO PROPERLY FIND AND CHOOSE : YOUR CANDIDATES. : UNTIL THEN," On Dec 18 at 3:16 am EST HABIT Tweeted the results of the elections: "RABBIT#224 HAS BEEN ELECTED AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NETHERLAND DWARFS. RABBIT#098 HAS BEEN ELECTED AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ENGLISH LOPS. RABBIT#046 HAS BEEN ELECTED AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ANGORAS. THE THREE RUNTS HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THEIR ELIMINATION. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION." Each of the leaders and runts received an individualized e-mail telling them how many votes they had received. Trial Two, Part Two On Dec 23, HABIT released Trial 2 Part 2 with the following e-mail: : "THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO ACT AS A UNIT AND UNDERMINE A PARTICULAR TEAM (DROWN THEM IN NUMBERS), IF YOU SO WISH. : TRIAL TWO - (PART 2/2) - END OF ROUND ONE : OF THE THREE CANDIDATES SELECTED TO REPRESENT THEIR TEAM, YOU MUST SUBMIT ANOTHER BALLOT, DESIGNATING SUPPORT FOR ONE OF THE CANDIDATES : AND MALICE TOWARDS ANOTHER. CHOOSE ONE LEADER AND ONE GLORIFIED RUNT. THE WINNER SHALL BE SINGLED OUT AS FRONT-RUNNER IN THE TOURNAMENT AND THE : LOSER WILL BE PROMPTLY ELIMINATED. : VOTES ARE DUE IN BY MONDAY, DECEMBER 27TH, 2010, BY NOON EASTERN. : RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED AS A NEW MESSAGE. : (BEAR IN MIND THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO VOTE FOR YOUR TEAM'S PREVIOUSLY SELECTED LEADER.)" In a twitter HABIT clarified the final statement of the email: "(YOU NEED NOT VOTE WITHIN YOUR OWN TEAM - CHOOSE ANY LEADER / ANY LOSER. THAT IS ALL.)" On Dec 28, HABIT announced the results of the election: "RABBIT#098 HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS WARREN LEADER; RABBIT#224 HAS BEEN ELIMINATED, BUT ITS LEGACY SHALL LIVE ON... A PARTING GIFT, SO TO SPEAK." The Nightmare Complex (Rabbit #098) received the following e-mail: "RABBIT#098, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE FRONT-RUNNER AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS WARREN OF RABBITS. (57 VOTED IN YOUR FAVOR; 31 CHOSE YOU AS RUNT). DON'T LET THE PRESSURES OF LEADERSHIP BE THE END OF YOU." He immediately followed with this ominous pronouncement: "THE FALLEN LEADER SHALL TAKE A FEW RABBITS WITH HIM. DETAILS TO FOLLOW." A bit later he tweeted again saying simply: "15." It is assumed that as the fallen Leader, CougarDraven (#224), will be allowed to eliminate 15 other Rabbits on his way out. CougarDraven later drops by the Angora chatroom and confirms this to be true. He shared the email that he received. "YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE 15 REMAINING RABBITS FROM THE TOURNAMENT, EXCLUDING THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND. I SHALL BE IN CONTACT WITH YOU SOON." Jeff also stopped by the Angora chat and revealed that he had privately contacted CougarDraven and volunteered himself, Alex, Vince and Evan to be 4 of the 15 eliminated. His reasoning is that the four of them are together and can protect each other, where as the rest of the Rabbits are individuals and alone. Shortly after midnight on Dec. 30, after a prompt from HABIT, CougarDraven posted the list of Rabbits that he had chosen to eliminate: 002, 003, 004, 043, 052, 071, 116, 126, 144, 174, 201, 205, 217, 226, and 231, obviously choosing to honor the cast's request. A few days later HABIT emailed and tweeted confirmation that these Rabbits had been eliminated. In the email it was revealed that Rabbit #120 had sacrificed themselves to save Rabbit #052. He also administered this warning: "THERE SHALL BE NO MORE NUMERICAL MINUTIA INVOLVED. IF YOU HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR, YOU WILL BE CHALLENGED TO REMAIN." Rabbit #098 received an email congratulating him on winning Round 1: "CONSIDER YOURSELF THE "WINNER" OF THE FIRST ROUND. RESPOND WITH YOUR PROPER MAILING ADDRESS. YOUR PRIZE WILL BE IN THE POST. ALWAYS," At the end of Trial 2, (and thus Round 1,) there are 138 Rabbits remaining in the tournament: 48 Angora, 51 English Lops, and 39 Netherland Drwarves. On February 17, 2011 Rabbit #098 (TheNightmareComplex) received his prize from HABIT. It contained an orange fur-lined hat and Box 4. Trial Three On January 13th at 8:06 pm EST the Rabbits received the following email: : "CONGRATULATIONS MAKING IT THUS FAR. : HOWEVER, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO FOLLOW A LEADER THAT IS AS MORTAL AS HE IS SHIRTLESS? : EVERYTHING BLEEDS, CHILDREN. : REGARDLESS, HERE IS YOUR NEXT TASK: : TRIAL THREE - LOSE A FRIEND, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. : GET CREATIVE. MAKE UP AN ELABORATE STORY. SIMPLY SEVER TIES WITH A GOOD FRIEND. : MAKE A VIDEO AND POST IT, PUBLICLY TO YOUTUBE, USING THE FORMAT "THESEVENTRIALSOFHABIT - TRIAL THREE - RABBIT#xxx" : TELL US WHAT YOU DID, PERHAPS RECORD THE EVENT / PHONE CALL / WHATEVER IT IS YOU CHOOSE. : DO NOT TELL THEM WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS. BLAME IT ON THEM. : HOWEVER, TELL THE VIEWERS AT THE END OF THE VIDEO, JUST WHO MADE YOU DO IT. : THE DEADLINE IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19TH, NOON EASTERN. : RUN ALONG." At the same time he Tweeted: "TRIAL THREE HAS BEEN ISSUED - LOSE A FRIEND, BY ANY MEAN NECESSARY." The next day HABIT clarified the instructions with this Tweet: "EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION-LINKS TO ME. WOULDN'T WANT TO BE OVERLOOKED." Then followed up with some commentary on the players: "PISS AND MOAN, PISS AND MOAN. YOU COMPLAIN AS IF THIS IS A GAME FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT: GET OVER YOURSELF." This playlist has has been established to collect the Rabbits' videos. (Thanks to Charles Simpson for collecting the videos.) On January 19th HABIT Tweeted, "HOPE YOU MADE THE DEADLINE. SEE YOU SOON." With the deadline passed, only a modest 76 Rabbits had submitted a video for the trial, as confirmed by a tweet on the 20th. 62 Rabbits were eliminated. Trial Four On Jan 24, 2011 at 8:09am EST HABIT released Trial Four with this email: : LET'S RAISE SOME AWARENESS, SHALL WE? : TRIAL FOUR - RECITE THE ATTACHED POEM IN A CROWDED, PUBLIC PLACE. : IT'S SIMPLE, REALLY. CREATE A VIDEO CHRONICLING YOUR PERFORMANCE. : DETAILS: MUST SEE AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE PASSING ON-SCREEN, VOICE MUST BE LOUD, CLEAR, AND HEARD. : YOU CAN READ FROM THE DAMN SHEET IF YOU MUST. AT THE CULMINATION OF YOUR RECITATION, REMIND THEM WHO MADE YOU DO IT. : AFTER UPLOADING IT (PUBLIC SETTING, NO PRIVATE SUBMISSIONS), EMAIL ME YOUR ENTRY, AS ALWAYS, AS A NEW MESSAGE WITH YOUR NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT FIELD. : AGAIN, PISS AND MOAN ABOUT THIS TASK, BUT IF THIS "PERFORMANCE" IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU, SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME: : QUIT NOW, BECAUSE THIS IS JUST A PRECURSOR TO NUMBER FIVE. : DEADLINE IS A WEEK FROM NOW, ON JANUARY 31ST AT NOON EASTERN. : HAPPY MONDAY, The poem is a lengthy recitation, that is interestingly presented in lowercase in the original, unlike every other communication that has been received from HABIT. This playlist has been established to collect the Rabbits' Trial Four videos. (Thanks to Charles Simpson for collecting the videos.) On Jan 31st HABIT announced the end of Trial Four, and Round Two. "THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED TRIAL FOUR HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED; IF YOU HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED AN EMAIL, YOU HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. THIS CONCLUDES ROUND TWO. THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND WILL BE CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED LATER THIS WEEK. REGARDS," The email sent to the Rabbits read as follows: "YOU HAVE PASSED TRIAL FOUR. THIS CONCLUDES THE SECOND ROUND. THE WINNER OF THIS ROUND WILL BE CHOSEN BASED UPON THEIR... RECITATION. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION. " On March 7th HABIT announced that Rabbit #052 (FullRoundAction) was the winner of Round Two, and declared him "WARREN JESTER." He received the following email: : CONGRATULATIONS, RABBIT#052. :YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE WINNER OF ROUND FOUR. YOU MAY ASSUME THE TITLE OF WARREN JESTER. YOUR ABILITY TO SCREW WITH THE BOUNDARIES OF THE WRITTEN GUIDELINES IS HEARTWARMING. I WILL SEE TO IT THAT IT IS JUSTLY REWARDED. BUT DON’T DO IT AGAIN. :RESPOND WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS FOR YOUR PRIZE. :DON’T DIE, At the end of Trial Four and Round Two, 48 Rabbits remain. Trial Five On March 7th, 2011, 3:16pm EST HABIT announced the opening of Trial Five with the following tweet: "TRIAL FIVE - HAS BEEN RELEASED. (PART 1/2) CREATE A BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE GIFT FOR A LOVED ONE. INCLUDE A PICTURE OF THE TWO OF YOU." He also sent this email to the remaining rabbits: : "TRIAL FIVE (PART 1/2) : CREATE A BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE GIFT FOR A LOVED ONE, PERHAPS FOR THE ONE YOU’VE NEGLECTED IN THE PREVIOUS TRIAL. (BY CHOOSING A LOVED ONE TO ABANDON, YOU’VE REVEALED THOSE MORE DEAR TO YOU BY THEIR OMMITANCE.) : SAID PERSONAL GIFT MUST INCLUDE A PICTURE OF THE TWO OF YOU. THE GIFT MUST BE A PHYSICAL ITEM. YOU SHOULD COMPLETE THIS BY THIS COMING WEEKEND. THERE WILL BE NO ACTUAL SUBMISSION PERIOD, HOWEVER, PROCEEDING IN THIS TRIAL REQUIRES THE GIFT TO BE COMPLETE." On March 12th HABIT Tweeted at 10:45 to announce that the second half of the trial would be released within the hour. Less than 10 minutes later the Rabbits received the following e-mail: :"TRIAL FIVE (PART 2/2) :I HOPE YOU’VE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ON YOUR GIFT. :YOU MUST NOW PRESENT THE GIFT TO THE RECIPIENT, IF YOU HAVE NOT YET DONE SO. EITHER WAY, YOU MUST DOCUMENT YOUR RECLAIMING OF THE GIFT. TELL THEM THAT THIS IS A SYMBOL OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND OF YOUR LOVE. AND DESTROY IT. YOU HAVE UNTIL THIS THURSDAY, THE SEVENTEENTH AT NOON, TO UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION. REMIND THEM WHO MADE YOU DO IT. :SEND ME A NEW EMAIL MESSAGE WITH THE LINK FOR CONFIRMATION." This playlist has been established to collect the Rabbits' Trial Five videos. (Thanks to Accipiter gentilis for collecting the videos.) At the end of Trial 5, HABIT tweeted: "THIRTY-EIGHT RABBITS REMAIN. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION MESSAGE, YOU HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED." The email sent to the Rabbits read as follows: "YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS ROUND OF THE TRIALS. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION." Trial Six On June 6th, 2011, 12:21 am EST HABIT announced the opening of Trial Six with the following tweets: "IT'S LOVELY TO BE BACK, RABBITS. TRIAL SIX RELEASED." and "OH YES - YOU KNOW THE ROUTINE: CREATE A DAMN VIDEO OF THE EVENT AND EMAIL IT TO ME." He also sent this email to the remaining rabbits: "AN AUDIENCE WORTHY OF NERO" FORGIVE ME, MISCREANTS OF THE WORLD, FOR I HAVE HAD A FEW PRIOR OBLIGATIONS OF HIGHER PRIORITY TO ATTEND TO. LET’S GET BACK TO THE FUN, SHALL WE? YOUR OBJECTIVE FOR THE SIXTH TRIAL OF OUR TOURNAMENT SHALL INVOLVE PUBLIC UNREST. CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER YOUR DAMNED ROCK AND GATHER A GROUP OF AT LEAST TEN (10) SUPPORTERS. WITH SAID GROUP, CONDUCT A (LEGAL) PROTEST AT YOUR LOCAL MUNICAPL CENTER (TOWN HALL, CAPITOL, WHAT HAVE YOU) AND DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF YOUR CURRENT DESPOT. SUGGEST A KINDER, GENTLER LEADER: YOURS TRULY. ''HAVE AT LEAST ONE SUPPORTER CARRY A LARGE SIGN BEARING THE PHRASE “#HABIT2012” AND MAINTAIN THE PROTEST FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. THE MORE VISIBLE OF A PROEST YOU CREATE, THE HIGHER YOUR NOTORITETY WITHIN THE TOURNAMENT SHALL RISE. KEEP IT PEACEFUL, RABBITS. I DON’T NEED A BUNCH OF BATSHIT CRAZIES, LOCKED UP IN COUNTY PRISON, BEING THE ONES TO CARRY MY NAME. YOUR DEADLINE IS NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 12TH, 10 PM EST. GOOD TO BE BACK, This playlist has been established to collect the Rabbits' Trial Six videos. (Thanks to Accipiter gentilis for collecting the videos.) On June 17th, 2011 HABIT tweeted the results of Trial 6, in three tweets: "TRIAL SIX ENDED EARLIER THIS WEEK. EIGHT RABBITS REMAIN IN THE TOURNAMENT." "RABBIT#052 HAS BEEN GRANTED PASSAGE TO THE NEXT TRIAL. I HAVE YET TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO IN REGARDS TO HIS... GAMBIT." and "#052... YOU SICKEN ME. BUT I APPLAUD YOUR TENACITY. SUCK A RAILROAD SPIKE. THAT IS ALL FOR NOW." Rabbits who passed received the following email: CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE PASSED THE PENULTIMATE TRIAL. AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION. RABBIT#052... YOU ARE IN THE PURGATORY OF THESE TRIALS... I'VE NOT DECIDED WHAT I'M TO DO WITH YOU. YET. At the end of Trial Six 8 Rabbits remain in the Tournament: 4 Angoras, 3 English Lops, and 1 Netherland Dwarf. Rabbit #052 followed up with several videos detailing the abduction of his roommate and the supposed theft of The Jester's Prize, before HABIT prompted him to tell the truth. He then posted two videos where he admitted that he never actually had the box and that he was placing his continued participation in the Trials in the hands of the remaining Rabbits who were asked to vote. The next day HABIT confirmed this plan in a tweet, saying "THE REMAINING RABBITS WILL CHOOSE #052'S FATE THROUGH A SIMPLE VOTE." The remaining Rabbits received this email: "AS OUR FRIEND #052 SUGGESTED, WE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS MATTER: REMAINING RABBITS, VOTE SIMPLY: YAY or NAY, REGARDING HIS LONGEVITY IN THE TRIALS." Two days later, HABIT announced "RABBIT #052 HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TRIALS, DUE TO A VOTE OF 6 TO 1." Following the vote, 7 Rabbits remain in the Tournament: 3 Angoras, 3 English Lops, and 1 Netherland Dwarf. Trial Seven Late on August 29th HABIT announced that he would be releasing Trial Seven in the next few minutes: "GET READY, RABBITS... YOUR FINAL AND SEVENTH TRIAL WILL BE RELEASED IN MERE MINUTES." About 20 minutes later the Rabbits received the following email: WELL, RABBITS, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY... HERE ARE THE TERMS OF YOUR SEVENTH AND FINAL TRIAL. FOR A MOMENT, THOUGH, JUST CONSIDER: WE'RE ALL LIKE ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY. WE HAVE THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AUNTS AND UNCLES, DISTANT, WEIRD COUSINS WHO YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE FELT UP IN THE GUEST BEDROOM THAT ONE THANKSGIVING... YES, ONE, LOVING FAMILY. YOUR DEADLINE FOR THE FINAL TRIAL IS INDEFINITE. REMEMBER, THE TRIALS WILL CONTINUE SO LONG AS THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO COMPETING RABBITS... '''TRIAL SEVEN: KEEP YOUR BODY BREATHING. ' GOOD LUCK, RABBITS. "Extra Innings" On May 26, about nine months since the last trial-related tweet, HABIT tweeted: "EXTRA INNINGS." The Rabbits recieved the following email: RESPOND WITH A PROPERLY FORMATTED MAILING ADDRESS. YOUR COOPERATION IS APPRECIATED. I PRAY THE YEAR REMAINS KIND. Rabbit #228, who lives in Australia, received an additional email requesting his telephone number. No other rabbit received this request. On June 4th the Rabbits began reporting that they had received envelopes from HABIT. Category:The Tournament